First the reviews here are well worth reading.
Second, I don’t often compare shows but if you want to get a feel for how much the band’s sound will change compare this show 2/14/68 with 2/14/70. And don’t get me wrong 2/14/70 is one of my all time favorites.
Anyhow, I am really starting to get how tight versions of tunes can be even more intense than longer extended pieces.
It reminds me that when I was a schoolboy it was harder for me to condense down an essay then to expand on it.
With the Grateful Dead you had a band that could stretch out a tune then reconfigure it and then bring that same tune back towards its original roots.
I love how both Dark Star and Lovelight are both under 10 minutes but in no way slouchy especially that lust driven Turn on Your Light.
A really great first set with dare I say that Valentines Punch Bowl x-factor!
Set 2
I think the band blew off the announcer
Pretty funny , right up there with Frankenstein & Davis getting straight manned by BRENT.
Truly great stage musings from the band especially regarding Cowboy Neal-it sounds like the finality had not sunk in even with members of the band yet.
The Anthem of the Sun material intrigued me about what exactly are the Grateful Dead and why would I be in their orbit for ten years of my undergrad career / slash DEAD tour
I never noticed Pig’s harp on this CAUTION.
Did somebody say
Keep on ROCKIN
And of course
Get up and dance
It won’t ruin you
When they said sit down
I threw up

eleven into lovelight is some baller shit

I could listen to this forever.

It is amazing how good this recording sounds. It's better than 90% of the shows I've heard post 60's. This is Owsley's doing right? Really cool that they had such crisp recording from this era. it sounds almost like a studio, in fact better than most of the dead's albums!
First show after Cassady's death, as mentioned below. Typical 60's setlist which can get boring if they are not jamming hard. Short Dark Star(this is only like maybe the tenth time they played it?), really good School Girl, middle of the road China Cat, love the guitar interplay of Jerry/Bob on The Eleven but not the most intense version of this song.
They are playing and singing really well tonight, Lovelight is on the shorter end but still kicks ass and I think I prefer it this way.
Second set has Neal Cassady vibes all over it, very cool! A really meaningful Other One, never my favorite song but you have to love it here.
I have to give it a 4 because they do not go really far out on this night but they are playing and sounding so well it's a good show to introduce people to the 60's acid dead and a good eulogy for Neal Cassady/Dean Moriarty/Cody Pomera.
"Cowboy Neal at the wheel on the bus to never ever land"
And after really thinking about the historic significance of this I am going to give it a 5.

This show was the first after Cassidy’s death, as others have noted. They dedicate the second set to him as well as some other people. The spoken word is quite an understated dedication considering the impact cassidy had on these fellows. The quality of the music they played in his dedication is not understated at all. As always, they allowed he music to do the talking

A jaw dropping good time. energy focussed on playing guitar. This is an awesome recording from 1968.

It doesn't sound like Jerry. Great show though!

increible show, sin palabras
jazz puro

Up tempo early DS isn't the main attraction
The entire 2nd set is wild!
Best Cryptical of all time, and Bobby's improvised Alligator lyrics!

Raising the Dead

Idiots at present day shows and also in the 1970's and on,,,,,,,,always yelled out.........."SIT DOWN"!,,,,,,,,,,,"SIT DOWN"!.........................SIT DOWN?????????????................STAND UP AND DANCE YOU FOOLS...........THIS IS THE GRATEFUL DEAD ( DANCE BAND ),,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,COME ON EVERYBODY GET UP AND DANCE AND FORM A BIG OL' LINE..........BOBBY STATES......................THE Band wants you to stand up and dance,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,if you want to sit go to a classical concert,,,and fold your hands too...............this is the GRATEFUL DEAD,,,,,,NOT MOZART............SIT DOWN????????...ARE YOU SURE................AND WHO COULD SIT DOWN,,,,,,,,,,THE MUSIC IS SUPPOSED TO MAKE you want to get up and dance!!!!!!!!!!!!!...................great show,,,,,so get up and dance,,,,,,,,,,,,,,and to show appreciation get up and dance,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,what group wants it's fans to sit down??????????,,,,,,,,,,,,duh!!!!!!!!!!!!.

Neal Cassady had died in Mexico on Feb 4th and this was the Dead's first concert afterwards. Neal's impact on the group was both sublime and profound. His loss no doubt fuelled their playing on this epic night of music.

Okay guys someone has to tell me how you can listen to this show when no url is available. there are a lot of reviews so obviously there has to be a way.
by the way, i was at this show. i remember it. vaguely anyway. i remember staring up at jerry as he played his guitar and thinking wow fucking cool man and he staring down at the crowd with that jerry look he sometimes had almost as if to say where the fuck am i at today anybody know
???
country joe was cool too back then he was just as popular if not more so than the dead because of grace janis sweet martha feel like i'm fixing to die and more.
hopefully somebody can tell me how to access this show. no rating until then, although if i go by back then it's a high five.
peace.

I hope no one reads/takes stock in hitmiester's review. First of all, this china cat is only so so. Second, there are so many smokin songs from this setlist. Please do yourself a favor and check out the tight/raging cryptical, the other worldly other one and my personal favorite eleven. FIVE STARS for a high energy early, clearly out of control show.

I have just compiled a 16 CD playlist which features all commercially released songs from the Grateful Dead's days at the Carousel Ballrom / Fillmore West from February 14, 1968 to July 2, 1971. Anybody interested in ordering can contact me at will.ruddock@gmail.com.
By the way this includes the entire 4 night Fillmore West run that sold out in 2005 so this is your chance to hear it again.
This show is a classic. I've already reviewed it.

ahh I forgot how cool these early China Cats could be...Man Jerry sounds like he might start Yodeling any given moment( thats a good thing)So young and full of life...This whole show is what we call High Energy...Everyone else has already said it. If you don't have this GET IT!! somehow..you will be glad you did. I have the whole Dicks Picks series and the complete DOWNLOAD series all of the boxes including the 10 disc fillmore 69...and about 20 odd show like 6-10-73,5-8-77 but I dont have but 1 or 2 of the Road trips series and I DID NOT have this til today. Well worth the effort.Now I must find a flac version of this because what I have is mp3@128 kbps from www.nugs.net. Which is still Smokin,If anyone is willing i will send postage and CDs contact me at jimmanningjr@gmail.com

... is truly amazing and one of the best in any year. excellent new potato. insane versions of alligator and caution (some of which was used on anthem). hitmeister must have eaten the brown acid, b/c this is among best of '68, bar none.

go to Nugs.net still up!

This show rocks, enough said.
Come on people... don't complain about commercial releases. It costs a very small amount of money to purchase this set now, considering how much joy it will bring you in the years to come. Every once in a while the Dead release a new set and it's taken down, and well it should be - we should all be more than willing to pony up some cash to listen to these shows, especially since when they are released, they come back remastered, with beautiful packaging and great liner notes (usually). You still have plenty of incredible shows to choose from on this site.

Man its dissapointing to come on here and see that one of my favorite concerts has been taken down and released commercially. I have a feeling Jerry wouldn't be too happy about this...

Need SBD's? Email me proskier118@GMAIL.COM and i can help the first couple of people out.

This show is the best of a great run of February shows, 2/2, 2/03, 2/14, and 2/23-2/23 Kings Beach Lake Tahoe (aka, Dick’s Picks Vol. 22) are all outstanding shows in an outstand run of Anthem shows. This is better show than Dick’s Picks 22. Also excellent audio and mixing.
The second set is the Anthem of the Sun live: the complete album with the order of the songs as on the album. In fact, much of this show was used on Anthem of the Sun. Plus, a Spanish Jam thrown in for good measure.
If it were just the second set, this would be a great show. But the first set is also great. It starts with typically Morning Dew of the period, with Pigpen’s keyboard supplying the groundwork for the Jerry-Phil-Bob jam. Dark Star, still less than two months old at this point, and still a short, but it’s tight. DS goes into China Cat (they hadn’t written St. Stephan yet for between Dark Star and the Eleven. This is pretty rare, as the played China Cat in this sequence only for a few months before dropping it for St. Stephen. I love the sound of this China Cat, fast and raw and together, with Jerry really in the zone. It then takes off into the Eleven. Driving with energy, Pigpen’s organ pushes the Eleven along. It’s also clean and tight with great vocals. The Eleven resolves neatly into Turn on Your Lovelight, continuing the force of the set. This is only the second time they played Lovelight, but it’s a dandy.
Jerry dedicates the second set to the memory of Neal Cassady (“Cowboy Neal”), who had died the previous week. A fitting dedication. Then comes a nearly perfect Anthem of the Sun set, and it’s easy to see why they used it on the album. Cryptical>Other One is pure dynamite, and crips and clean and tight, the way performances of Passenger from 1977 are tight—everything is in the right place.
One thing great about this show is that the transitions are smooth and flawless, including the one into New Potato. This features some artful improvising by Phil after the vocals. Jerry lets Phil go at it alone and then comes in with some rhythm guitar licks, slowly building in intensity. It’s masterful. The rarely performed Born Cross-Eyed is a natural capper, but the action doesn’t end here. After all this energy, the Dead go into a spacy, long Spanish Jam that ebbs and flows, and evolves in mood.
Pigpen’s vocal isn’t loud enough in Alligator, but the Alligator jam is fabulous. Following Jerry in this jam is like following Coltrane. Things then speed up for Caution, and the Dead go off into another zone altogether. Caution and feedback are inspired, building to controlled chaos before receding into nothingness.
There are a few different versions of this show here at archive. This best has a patch of the cut in the Alligator jam, found here:
http://www.archive.org/details/gd1968-02-14.sbd.miller.89676.sbeok.flac16

Un fucking believable show for all of us to enjoy,Powerful performance. way more than 5 stars !!the boys kick the shit out of me again

To be able to hear this music is a treat beyond compare.i remember listening to the radio that Valentine's Day ,the word was being put out that Country Joe,The Airplane and The Dead were going to all be there and all were invited to attend. Thank's much,you guys are really something else!i'll be looking 4 U - as ever nb. The audio -visual-olfactory Valentine's Day candy given out provided an ultra-sound you guys captured just right! + God bless you all +

i love this show
its the dead at there Bestt
a must have

This show crackles with energy. China Cat gets the good times going, and they blast through the ensuing songs like they're rolling downhill. This version of The Eleven is probably my favorite, and Lovelight is rockin' and not too lengthy. New Potato Caboose features some great Garcia fretwork. Excellent show, a must-listen.

The reviewer who said that the Morning Dew came from Human Be-In is incorrect. I have that show and when you listen to the Be-In, you can tell that they are playing outside. The Dew from this show definitely sounds like it's in a small building with a respectful audience. Also, if you guys are familiar with the dead's sixties stage lineup, you'll know that Jerry comes out of your right headphone and Bobby comes out the left with Phil in betwen them. On this show, the change sides. Morning Dew is the only song on here which has Jerry on his usual side and it sounds like it comes from late in 1967. Just a guess. I sometimes wonder if this show is from the Carousel Ballroom. I mean, I know Phil says it does but I have a few other shows from the Carousel and they all sound really tight like the band is playing in a small room. This show sounds like a much bigger venue. Good Morning Little Schoolgirl opens with the crowd talking amongst themselves, very loose. Jerry has a down and dirtiness about his soloing on this tune and Bobby's guitar seems to have a slide feel about it. Dark Star has a few seconds from the beginning cut off and it does have the infamous Pig Pen organ riff but I actually like it. It doesn't get too irritating like the 8-23-68 show, where Pig is otherwise fantastic. China Cat Sunflower cuts off a little too early but the transition into The Eleven is like a playground of sound. At this point in time, Turn On Your Lovelight has been in the band's repetoire for six months and 9 days. It debuted at Toronto's O'Keefe Center on August 5, 1967 playing next to Alligator. It doesn't have the famous raveups that Pig would give it around 1969 and 1970 until he left the band. But it does have a great jazzy feel about it. It feels as if we've gone from blues, to playground of sound, to Birdland. This is the end of the first set and it cuts off just before Jerry finishes the announcement of the upcoming band Country Joe & The Fish. They have a setlist on here but from what I hear it's not very good sound. Neither is their setlist from the May 19, 1968 show at the Northern California Folk Rock Festival.
The second set has them opening with Cryptical Envelopement, The Other One and Cryptical Envelopement dedicating their set to the memory of San Francisco beatnik legend Neil Cassidy who was the hero of Jack Kerouac's On The Road. New Potato Caboose is played with such fervor that I've never heard by Jerry. This is Garcia's best performance on the song. For Phil listen to the one from Two From The Vault. Bobby shines on Grateful Dead Download Series, Vol. 6. Pig shines on Dick's Picks, Vol. 22. For Billy and Mickey listen to the 1/22/68 show from Eagle's Auditorium. Born Cross-Eyed has a long space feedback jam lasting about four minutes before going deeper and deeper into Spanish Jam. This is most "Spanish" jam I have ever heard. We then close with one of the greatest sequences of Alligator, Caution and Feedback ever performed. Alligator starts off with the band tuning and making jokes. My favorite: Bobby saying "In 1941 the Japanese invaded the Solomon Islands." The song starts up and after the versus we are taken into a trance with an early rhythm devil solo. We then take off into nowhere with a magical, everlasting jam which slows down into a hypnotic Caution (Do Not Stop On Tracks) which only furthers itself into a monster of a Feedback. The band performs In The Midnight Hour as an encore. All in all, a fantastic show that you might regret you didn't download sooner before they took everything down.

did somebody dose pig at this show? that organ riff in darkstar is really bumming me out...rest of this show just cooks but i can't even listen to this DS...drag...

This is a line Weir says in Alligator---kinda funny.
My 3 Star rating is because the sound of the GD at this point wasn't as "grand" as it became just a year later. Maybe it has to do with the recording itself & not their "sound"--who knows. And, I think there are better performances in '68. Not to take anything away from this one, but...

In an online interview on December 10th 1995, Phil lesh says his favorite show of all time is this show St. Valentine's Day 1968.

I love listening to the late 60's Dead. They are so raw and you can just hear the love for the music coming out of their instraments.
And Jerry said "When it leaves our instraments, it's of no use to us".

"Bobby said it best "they can do whatever they want with these shows when we're done with it".
Actually, Jerry said that, I believe Bobby said, "Let them eat cake..."

enough about legacies. this is about corporate take-over of grateful dead merchandise. there are tons of bands on this archive that offer up free soundboard downloads. the surviving grateful dead are millionaires as are the corporate suits from rhino...you are not. if you download this stuff just make sure you counter the karma by purchasing some grateful dead stuff. don't try to make money off the shows.
when you stream these songs and that gray bar goes all the way across, you've already got the show in your temporary internet files. you can transfer these files into a my music file and there you have it. you didn't do anything wrong or evil by simply transferring files you already have to another folder. and to compare this file transfer to gate crashing.... Pleeeaase, spare me your sanctimonious bullshit. Bobby said it best "they can do whatever they want with these shows when we're done with it".
don't need to buy fancy software or equipment or sacrifice the integrity of the recording. there's a much easier way.

back on 10/31/2004, reviewer "ez2luvu" asked where Morning Dew came from. I had this tape for a loooong time, one of my faves, and I always wondered why that one song sounded different.
It was from 1/14/1967, the "official" start of "The Summer of Love" (you know, nothing back then was really *official"...), The Great Human Be-In afternoon gig at Golden Gate Park in SF. Still really great, and the song they opened with.
&&&
And Jim F on 6/27/2004 mentioned the "Mountain Jam" riff. I'm not exactly sure when the Allmans started doing Mountain Jam, but they were adapting Donovan (Leitch)'s "First There Is a Mountain". So did the Dead. It took me about 20 years to realize that!! So Donovan was first, in like 1967, then the Dead, then Allmans. Who knows who else borrowed this sweet riff.
About this show: One of the best shows ever. I remember reading one of the Dead books (Playing in the Band?, or one of the other ones) that the band on that Valentine's Day were in a contentious mood, and Jerry was really pissed off at the set they were playing. Later, in retrospect, he admitted it was one of their best fuckin shows ever. Serious. Jerry fessed up.
I did acid out in nature once to this tape. One of their best.

Imagine how fortunate we are to be fans of the best-documented group of musicians in history. All this resentment and entitlement feedback really is gross, and reminds me of the ticketless morons who so badly damaged the last few GD tours. And it's kinda like complaining about the color of a free car- all this amazingly available free music is their legacy to us: don't you think they get to leave a legacy for their children and grandchildren,too!Stream it, if you need it, or leave it if you're a miserable complainer. I'm extremely grateful to all the people over all the decades who have made this music available, especially the archive and everybody who brought stuff here. I'm grateful to the boys for, as usual, having an ear so close to the fan base that they reviewed AND revised last fall's decision within DAYS, and AGAINST all legal advice. OK, rant over, peace out.

this website is doing a beautiful thing by letting us listen to all the dead we want, so dont go telling peaple how to rip it off, let us listen to its sweet tunes wile we can, because nothing this grate lasts forever. the dead has given us the privlage of hearing all the boot-leg recordings of their music for free, i cant recal ANY other band that would let us listen to actual boot legs. any other band would probably file a law suit actualy. but any ways, just try to enjoy this wile it lasts, and dont eat too many mushrooms and youl be ok.
-felow dead head

I may have been at this show. I know I saw the dead in 1968 at the Carousel..but I'll be darned if I can remember the date. I know it was the Carousel, because i remember the stage configuration was different there than at the Fillmore West. If I recall, Charlie Musselwhite opened.
My girlfriend at the time had access to free tickets via her dad and we went.
Well..even if I wasn't there..what a great show.
Jim

great show.
stream this one and enjoy....
such a beautiful show...
'68 dead is just amazing...
peace
sorry for the duplicate post, damn dialup...

All you need to do to download this show is to copy the links down from the playlist file and put them into internet explorer. Messing around with tape decks is only going to mean more time on your part and a generation or two on your show. Brilliant concert, by the way, 5/5 for the second set alone.

The archive really represents the band's legacy. You should be glad you can access it, even if only by streaming. These folks made music for all of us for over 35 years, and most of the time were nearly broke (read McNally and Lesh's books). Don't begrudge them trying to recoup some of their just rewards. To paraphrase JFK, ask not what the band can do for you, ask what you can do for the band's legacy...? By the way, this is a fun early period tape!

i know some may say we sound spoiled...but what do you want our reaction to be when one day the show is sitting there waiting to be plucked for download...and the next day its stream only or worse yet - taken off completely??
There are many shows i'll not have the chance to experience fully now bc i "wasn't quick enough" to get it i guess. This is bullshit in my opinion. Quit destroying this site. If you want all the great dead shows to be streaming only then why don't we just turn Archive into sugarmegs? Bullshit.

AS i thought about the upcoming phil & friends run here on the east coast in feb 2006, i thought of this show as a memorable one from valentines's day..
I downloaded this a while ago when it was still avaliable for dwnload...if you want a copy of the board...i'll B&P..email me @ RipplinstillH20@aol.com
why can phil redo this show? hey if DSO can redo old dead shows, why cant the maistro- phil!!!
just my 2 cents
email if you want this one...i'm listening to it while i type this!! ...

OK TO ALL !!! ALL YOU HAVE TO GET THESE SOUNDBOARDS IS HOOK UP YOUR RADIO/TAPE DECK TO YOUR COMPUTER AND RECORD THE SHOW WHILE ITS PLAYING !!ALL YOU NEED TO DO THIS IS A MIC TO AUDIO CABLE OR A HEADPHONE TO AUDIO CABLE. EASY AS CAN BE !! THEN YOU CAN GET A PROGRAM TO RECORD THE PLAYBACK OF THE TAPE THROUGH YOUR MIC INPUT ON YOUR COMPUTER AND THEN YOU CAN SPLIT THE SONGS YOURSELF AND THEN BURN THEM TO A CD!! HAHA I SUGGEST SOUND FORGE 7.0 OR LOWER TO DO THIS, IF YOU NEED THE PROGRAM CONTACT ME AND I'LL GET IT TO YOU !!!
GRATEFULDEAD2777@SBCGLOBAL.NET
THIS IS STILL BETTER THAN THE OLD DAYS WHEN YOU COULDN'T EVEN FIND TAPERS OR ANYONE WITH TAPES, SPREAD THE WORD !!! SEEMS TO ME THAT PEOPLE ARE GETTING A LITTLE SPOILED AROUND HERE, FORGOTTON ABOUT THERE ROOTS !!!

This is how they rolled in those days - chock full of thumping psychedelia. Like the China>Eleven. Close your eyes and you can see the gelatin screens and smell the acapulco gold.
This is a wonderful and essential addition.

This may not be the best-sounding show from '68, nor the most technically brilliant, but it is dripping with IT. And either you get IT or you don't. If you don't, stop listening and start hearing. Failing that, get up and dance, it won't ruin you.

I've listended to this a few times, and other than the great China Cat, I don't get what all the fuss is about. If this were my only exposure to the Dead, I'm not sure I'd have ever gotten on the bus.
I don't have too many shows from this year, but this one pales in comparison to the others I have, most notably 10/12/68, and the several early '69 shows I've recently downloaded.
Sorry, just one man's opinion.

this is the first time they really hit the mark with china cat live. Compare it to other shows on the archive..no comparrison whatsoever. They lite this song up. You have to hear this.
The entire is show is stellar. I totally agree with other reviewers- this is possibly their best show, certainly their best of this era thus far a seeming pinnacle of everything that had preceeded it- the vision had ben realized here..cassady had just died, the scene down the street was out of control and the band members were preparing to move out of 710. They knew this era was coming to an end and they play their hearts out. We are still feeling the waves of this show today. Unbelievable playing, great sound quality.

I have downloaded around 60 shows since my friend turned me on to the archive and I must compel you to download this show NOW! It is the most powerful, loud and raucous show with a full and deep set list. Jerry's guitar is SOOO LOUD here and they are out of control with energy like no other show I have ever heard. Not sure what the difference was with the guitar, but it seems different than other shows around this time period. This one stands out at the top of the list from any year period. In appending my review now let me say that '68 was soooo good with all of its variety, but especially early in the year the Dead were just OTHER WORDLY. Spanish Jam and the tunes surrounding it are just surreal on a variety of these early '68 dates. Be assured that these '68 shows are the Dead at their best ever. period.

It dont get too much better then this folks,this whole set Stole my Face Right Off my Head! Too bad its only a 5 star rating system,even the Bobby/Pig songs are super phycadelic, sound is awsome so what are you waitting for Down Load This One!

I know Phil himself thinks this is one of the best shows the Dead have ever played. And it truely is anazing. Everybody's having a 'on' night and as a result my copy of this show burned a hole in my CD player! (exaggeraton. But it is really hot!) The sound quality's good, everything's good. The Dark Star> China Cat> The Eleven> Lovelight speaks for itself. And 2 more words: Spanish Jam.

This is such an amazing show. In Phil's book he recounts how the band had just found out about Neal Cassady's death down in Mexico, dead on the railroad tracks from exposure. Typical Neal, dyin on the tracks. Phil said the band was trying to capture Neal's energy through this show, and I think is one reason why this show is so smokin. Neal was obviously a one-of-a-kind that epitomozied the scene of the sixties.
Thanks Neal for the inspiration!

Great show. My favorite from '68 along with the show at Betty Nelson's farm. Note the dedication to Neil Cassady at the beginning of set 2. I find myself returning to this show over and over and . . .

I've been absolutely loving this show now for about six months now and was suprised to see I haven't left a review...although the Archive wanted me to revise my review and led me to a blank box which I now type into.
Twenty reviews are here to read so here's a quick one...
Get this show before it goes the way of so many other watershed shows. Get it now.
Five Freakin' Skulls

I agree with some of the other posts, the boys are very fired up throughout this recording. Although no known sources exist for a clean caution jam (without harch cut), this is definitely worth a listen nonetheless. Check out the early "scratching" technique used in the jam.

You can't go wrong with this one. Sound quality is excellent. Great bursts from Jerry's guitar. Amazing to think how early this was and what was to come. Worth the download.

I swore I wasn't going to do this anymore.I leave my opinion once in a while with the idea that it may help guide someone a little in the choice they make.However once in a while I see my own review and the follow up is inevitably someone using this forum as a message board to tell me what an ass I am.I call them like I hear them and I make no apollogies for giving an honest review.So like it or not here it is.
I leave this one only to repeat the sentiment of everyone else here.This show is amazing!This is one of those desert island shows,in my top 5 of all time.
Don't get me wrong there are plenty of out of key vocals and out of tune guitars so if your looking for perfection you won't find it here.What you will find however is one of the most spirited performances of the Deads career.From start to finish they are smokin'.
Jerry's solos are short(for the Dead anyway),concise, brilliant instant mini compositions within the larger framework.These represent the highest watermark for improv in the rock genre.Rare it is to find a musician of Jerrys caliber working in a rock band forging new paths that have yet to be taken.This kind of territory is considered exclusive to jazz and free improv artist by most.Jerry proves that idea to be just plain false.
The other note worthy perfomances are the first signs of Bob turning into a rhythm guitar monster and his vocals are really strong for this era.
Pigpen.I like Pigpen.When Pig was on it was magic, when he wasn't,well lets just say even when it was bad it was still better than the hot burning knitting needle in the ear sometimes refered to as Brent Mydland.But thats another review.Pig at his best transcended his limits as a musician and did his magic like no one else.This show is one of those magic nights.This is my favorite Alligator of all time.It's so loose and out of controll.Good Morning Little.. is pretty damn good also.
Last but certainly not least the sound quality on this one is great.A 2 track from 1968 with better dynamics and mix qualitys than most modern day commercially produced material.We cleaned this show up a little bit and mastered it here at the Grail and WOW!What dynamics,man the bass on this one will shake your teeth loose w/ a little eq and a sub.The levels are a little hot sometimes and cause some minor distortion but considering the age of the source this is a pretty small gripe.We are lucky to be the benefactors of such excellent engineering of a classic performance.
Thank God that someone had the vision to document and store this historic piece of Art.
Enjoy and see you somewhere else.
Cheers,
Jimi Justin
Holy Grail Studios

It'll bring tears to your ears...Just finished Phil's book and am feeling a little down...This did the trick though I still ache for what once was.

I downloaded this show awhile back and decided it was the perfect compliment to reading Phil's new book. The quality of this recording far surpasses what circulated in the old cassette trading days of the 70's-'90s. There's still some tape source flaws but chock those up to the era of Ampex tape and tripping soundboardists. This is as good as it gets for a '60s era recording. The band is on fire from the get go. They are fucking-on-fire! The Alligator->Caution will raise the hair on the back of your neck. I used to think that the November '67 Shrine shows were the best of the vintage era but this night puts those shows to shame.
The Country Joe & The Fish set from the same night circulates but in almost unlistenable quality. Anyone have a better recording?

This is the 1st full show I ever listened to or owned and now i know it is an ideal example of the band at the time fo' sheezy. The sound quality is absolutely fine. I mean it's not '74 board quality but wtf... There are a few splurts dropouts etc but the same goes for the band itself, so hey what r ya gonna do?. Darkstar through Lovelight is nonstop other-worldy.this show has the top of the game version of Alligator. you cannot beat it. If you have any sense at all u should Do it, Do it. Booyakasha

yes
great show
excellant sound for peridot
and new pot and spanish jam makes this a must
the dead never really topped the viola/potato/spanish jams
of 68
peace

Beautiful, aggressive material, with the trademark 68 Jerry tone...Sound quality is excellent, with little to no hiss, though the volume is maybe a hair low. Get it now. This show is amazing, with thunderous intensity and exquisite, daring jams...Features a glorious Lovelight with a unique jazzy vocal jam...it is necessary that you be familiar with this one, friends...

This show should be on 2 discs with the cut between Spanish and Alligator, IMO

Accept as true what has been previously written , this is an outstanding concert and worth all the effort of patching in the missing portion of Alligator from Anthem of the Sun. However, I'm rather surprized that no one has commented on the facts that a) the FM broadcast, is slightly louder, I suggest a 10% volume reduction and b) there is a very obvious pitch error. Listen to the two portions of Alligator and it's painful to hear. This second part is running at the wrong speed, it's slow. As the first part is at the same speed as that on Anthem of the Sun the error must be with the second part. I used my Goldwave sound editing s/ware to correct this, and subsequent tracks. I suggest a scale value of 1.020 if you use this or similar s/ware.

i like the dew, but someone was messin with the levels when it was being recorded......jerry's guitar and vocal are a bit low for my taste...this is a classic performance that i have listened to for years {and never had dew on my tape either} 5 for BALLS

this is a great show but where does morning dew come from?deadbase doesnt have it in listed and nowhere else has it as a song played.so download it without and enjoy this gem!

creators (perfectors) of acid jam rock rock. they suit country in their later years but this is where they really made it happen. awesome show.

This is a show that goes down in the annals of the Dead. Listen to a '67 show then listen to this one to see what was going on during the practice sessions. The rythms Mickey and Bill brought really started to hit the groove here and the jamming is fierce. I love the sound of Garcia's guitar and Phil's bass, heck overall the sound quality is better then some '85 shows on this site and just think those taping were probablly under the influence of Bear's better stuff.
Musically the Anthem stuff really stands out here and the Spanish Jam is a great vehicle that should havebeen included in that album. This show is a must have for any true Dead Head.

FWIW, from Alligator on is from the FM broadcast, NOT the vault 8-track reels.

This is an absloutely monster show. One of the best (if not the best) they played even in this significant year. Every song smokes and smokes! From the opener "Morning Dew" to the last squawk of "Feedback," this is sublime. And did I mention that this show possibly has the best "New Potato" ever?!
Fabulous SBD quality, something not especially common for '68. I agree with the other reviewer that said the cut in "Alligator" should be patched from the Anthem of the Sun album. It's a stupid tape flip that should not be in there, especially for this SBD. That said, it is quite fitting that this show occured on Valentine's Day. It's sweet stuff.

Everyone (the whole world,not just deadheads) should own this recording. Set two is one of the greatest pieces of music ever performed live.
The cut in alligator really bites. It has the bit that sounds like the mountain jam, and is totally necessary to comprehend the whole jam, and should not be missing! But, an enterprising taper with editing software can easily splice in the missing portion from the "Anthem" album. I had a copy of this set a few years back from a real audio source (sounds like crap)that DID NOT have the cut, and I once used that to cover the cut, but the entire missing portion (around a minute) is complete on the album. If ya listen, you'll hear where it begins and ends.

this is a marvelous example of primal GD, with one hell of a setlist and a fun performance...good SBD for '68, and a necessary part of every GD collection...
I mean, when else are you going to find a New Potato>Cross-Eyed>Spanish Jam combo??!!!!

Yes, it is not as technically accomplished as 1972-1973 Dead, but whereas those years' performances could be quite cerebral, 2/14/68 is the peak of the band's acid rock period-fat crunchy guitar parts from Garcia and Weir, manic "lead guitar" bass parts from Lesh, the drummers working together to form a symbiotic eight limbed rhythm machine, and the classic calliope organ sound of Ron McKernan still dominating the proceedings to a large extent. Yes, Dark Star is embryonic and has the infamous repetitive organ riff, and China Cat has a weak (Phil?) vocal, but all of this adds to the charm of the show-six guys just beginning to discover the possibilities of electric music and excited as hell, as That's It For The Other One ably demonstrates here.